kbolted

[lunafaeris-archive]

I want the k + mada & luna 8’)

but do you really want the k?

8: Kiss in the Rain

          “ Madara? Madara! Answer me!! ” Her voice cried out, hoarse from calling out his name and searching high and low for him throughout the ravaged scars of the battlefield, but her words didn’t travel far amidst the ongoing monsoon. She didn’t know what had happened, only just having re-discovered his trail after they had been separated by a massive rock slide cleaving through the side of the mountain. She thankfully caught wind of his scent before the rains began to pour, but it seemed she had been too late to stop him from rampaging against a battalion of warring samurai in full armored garb. Wading through the grassy field, she could see evidence of where his claws had gouged out the earth, upturning waves of defenseless foot soldiers and ox-driven carts, until in his brutal outrage no one had been spared from his wrath. Not one from their regiment was left alive, but she knew that she wouldn’t find him here among a sea of dead bodies, all mutilated beyond recognition... something must have set him off to go berserk like this, but what? Nearing the edge of the field, she caught a glimpse of a fresh set of tracks leading towards the base of the mountain. Tracks that were far too large and widespread to be from any native animal species with talons as long as her fingers.

          Had he... had he lost himself? Had he turned? Gone mad?

          She didn’t have time to stand around and fret about whether or not he was alright; if these tracks did in fact belong to him, then her only option was to follow them before the rains swept them away. Hastily trudging through the underbrush and past a sparsely laden grove of trees, she finally spotted something moving strangely in the distance, laying low to the ground as it had secluded itself from the rain underneath the branches of a maple tree. The smell of blood from those fallen samurai clung heavily to it like a tumultuous cloud... in that moment, she knew there was no denying it. That thing, that monster cowering from the wet and the cold was Madara. They were one and the same.

          In his rage, he had grown to his full height as a youkai, towering over her with the oily black of his mane having transformed into a mass of feathers. If it wasn’t for his tattered dark olive hakama or the feral red of his eyes staring back at her, or rather staring through her, then she wouldn’t have dared believe it herself. He seemed confused and in a state of shock, shivering like a rat huddled into a corner, unable to comprehensively speak and growling from the back of his throat as she approached. It was almost as if he didn’t recognize her for who she was... but whatever the risk, whatever the danger involved, she knew that she had to try to bring him back to his senses, cautiously laying her rifle down on the ground beside her before closing the distance between them, taking it one step at a time so as not to agitate him or have him spiral further.

          “ Can you hear me? Can you... understand me? I promise I’m not here to hurt you. ” She remained visibly calm on the outside, her eyes leveling with his as she was determined to see him back to his former self. She did everything within her power to make it appear that she wasn’t a threat to him, her arms spread wide as if she was welcoming him into her embrace, but something inside him suddenly snapped as he lunged straight for her in a frenzy, raking his sharp talons through the sleeves of her haori as he held her in place and sank his teeth into the cusp of her shoulder.

          “ --!! ” Her boots slid through the mud as he pushed her back, but even after enduring the monstrous force of his bite, she steeled herself in both mind and body, refusing to let the pain get the better of her as she grit her teeth, morosely lowering her head without uttering a sound. Warm blood seeped through the wound, staining her clothes a dark shade of red, but still she was adamant to bring him back to the light, back to the way he was as her trembling hands found a home in his hair, stroking his neck and the back of his head in a last attempt to soothe the beast that had surfaced.

          “ ... It’s me, you miserable old fool. I’m not going anywhere. ” She breathed, the strain of her voice little more than a whisper as she could feel his teeth give way, unhinging his jaw as he released her. He tentatively raised his head, his mouth marred with her blood, though there was a flicker of realization that had sprung to life in his eyes, wavering between the edge of madness and sanity. Despite the incredible pain she was in, despite everything he had done, she stayed. She smiled even, weak with fatigue as she gently cupped his cheek and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Sweet and tender, ignoring the rain and the thunder cascading all around them with the taste of her own blood dribbling down from his lips.

@asaraltu